Tuesday, March 20, 2012

hoppy mcjumperson

it's hard to believe that the bean has been doing gymnastics for almost two whole years. that's half of her life! seems like only yesterday when she oh-so-hesitantly took her very first class. ah, the memories.

fast-forward to right now, when she's in the highest level in the little gym, and has mastered darn near everything there is to do in there. well, she's still pretty hesitant about the high beam - but she's come a long way. it's still really fun for me to sit there every week and watch her go through the various obstacle courses and practice her skills. and i'm always a proud mama when she tackles something new.

this week, she inexplicably decided to dress up for class. there was a special luncheon planned after this session - something exciting that she was really looking forward to, because it involved taking a trip into the "big gym" to check it out and get familiar with the setup over there. i couldn't help but giggle when she emerged from her room looking like this:

of course, the accessories all had to come off before she could get down to business. and as usual, i sat there giving her the thumbs-up and smiling as she glanced back at me after each task.

the big gym always smells like feet. ugh. but she didn't even notice it in her excitement, and scurried right in when it was time and got in line with the other eager beavers.

while they did a little jogging to warm up, i looked around and marveled at the difference between the two gyms.

kids, man. they're so freaking flexible. as they stretched, i couldn't help but think of my own lack of flexibility as i do my yoga DVDs at home.

and as she did this, i thought to myself "well, now you're just showing off." heh.

there were different obstacle courses set up for this rare toddler event in here. it was fun watching her take the challenge and do familiar exercises on a different level.

the best part? getting to jump on various trampolines - including a mini one, from which they hopped right into a giant pit filled with soft foam squares.

by the time the pizza was delivered, the kids were worn out from all that activity. the bean was visibly tired, since she'd done her usual class and then an extra 45 minutes right afterwards. she was happy to sit down and eat her lunch.